Isn't It Beautiful?
by PinkStarz
Summary: Love. It's hard to tell whether it's there. It's hard to know whether it exists. But when in death's embrace, it seems like the only answer.SxS
1. The Beginning of the End

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Isn't It Beautiful?

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A story about hating the one you love.

Written by PinkStarz

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January

"Happy New Year!"

The clinking of various glasses followed the cries, which precariously sounded like shattering crystal.

The sky was gloriously dark; they were illuminated by the artificial light. Fake happiness. They were all indulging in fake happiness, from Tea's bright blue dress to the smile on Yugi's lips. Another year for battling demons, they all told themselves. To survive. All five of them.

Serenity Wheeler moved to sit on a couch beside Duke Devlin, nursing her glass of champagne. She had heard that if one was immature, any type of alcohol will seem bitter. Hers was sour. Duke said nothing when she sat down, most likely contemplating what this year would hold for him. He would want his business to flourish. They both knew it wouldn't.

Her brother was leaning against the counter of the mini-bar, glass beside him. His hair was shorter now, neatly cut. She hated it, but he had no other choice. His profession would not allow him to keep his shaggy appearance. However, he was happy, unlike almost everyone else. He hadn't been before. Like the rest of them, he had been on the verge of collapsing, giving up, and frequently gave the world the finger.

But happy endings existed.

She had convinced herself that.

She wasn't that sure about Tea, though. Her brother seemed like a bad influence on her, if anything. As much as she played 'mother', she had become unstable during the years. Life became something she wanted to experience and that she did -with mistake after mistake after mistake. Hell, even Joey seemed like another one of her mistakes.

Sometimes she wondered why Yugi wasn't one of her mistakes. He had become something she left in the past and chose not to acknowledge. A forgotten ring. Her eyes drifted to him. He was talking to her brother, fiddling with whatever he could get his hands on. The bottom of his shirt, his glass, shifting from foot to foot. He smiled suddenly and her breath almost seemed inaccessible to her. He always had such a nice smile, she thought. How could she have forgotten? He smiled, laughed, cried -he was a perfect example of what it meant to be alive.

"You'd better stick to your New Year's resolution this year, Joey," teased a slightly tipsy Tea, placing a hand gently on the blonde's shoulder. A ring gleamed on her finger, which only Serenity seemed to notice. But it had been there for a while, hadn't it?

"Yeah, yeah." Joey waved off her comment. "You know I won't, no matter how much you nag me."

"Have you even thought of one?" she demanded, removing her arm from his and taking a haughty step back.

"Does it even matter?"

"It's good to set goals for yourself," piped Yugi, who seemed slightly flushed from the champagne.

"Eh... then what's yours?"

"Stop drinking," he said, almost mournfully. Four pairs of eyes focused on the glass in his hand and then at his dazed expression. "Starting tomorrow," he added.

"I'm going to dance everyday for at least an hour," Tea announced. "Joey?"

"Well... ah..."

"It seems that you'll give up junk food for the year," she decided.

Joey gawked.

"I never said that!"

"Then what?"

"I was gonna... I dunno... have sex everyday for the year-"

"Like hell!"

"Fuck, it's like they've been married for half a century, already..." Duke commented lazily, shifting slightly. He was close to her now and she wanted to move away but she didn't. "Seren?"

He was waiting for her answer.

"Yeah." A hollow reply yet with the slight caress of emotion behind it. It was a feeling meant to be buried; however, from it rose something else more deplorable. Each time she breathed, this feeling would come and her heart would be grasped by powerful hands and squeezed until she cried and couldn't stop.

It was coming again.

"So what's yours?"

"My what?"

He laughed -it was different, she noted. Forced. Airy. No -summoned from disbelief.

"I'm sorry."

"What's with you?" Too caring. Always caring. She was a twenty-six-year-old doll.

An arm around her shoulders. They were covered by a forest green shawl. She had told herself to wear color. She had been told it matched her eyes.

She forced herself to smile. "Nothing."

"It's something." His other hand covered hers. She, too, had a ring. No one noticed it. "So..." Shocking green eyes met hers, "what is it? What's your resolution?"

She broke her gaze from his, focusing her attention on nothing at all.

"A secret."

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One Year Ago

As usual, Seto Kaiba was working. Although he was known to work excessively, over the past few years one would not see him doing anything else. It almost seemed like he had decided to fulfill the remainder of his lifetime within the massive building of Kaiba Corporation -more specifically, within the four walls of his office. And considering that he was still young, it would be a long sentence. After a decade of isolation, he had already become pallid, frail and at times, his eyes were bloodshot. Some wondered whether a trip outside during the daytime would cause him to scream in agony over being exposed to the sun.

His temper had become shorter, if that was in any way possible. Everyone who worked for his company were the top of their class and world renounced geniuses. There were no screw-ups; even if there were, the offender would be disposed of before the news would reach any ears. However, Kaiba's determination and workaholic nature prevailed. Kaiba Corporation was one of the top and most profitable businesses in the world. There were branches in almost every modern country. Investors adored him because of his excellent business skills; women and children adored him because of the theme parks and the Duel Monsters Academy he established for underprivileged children. It didn't hurt that he was handsome, either.

But then again, anyone who adored Seto Kaiba obviously didn't know him.

He hardly wanted to be adored.

He simply wanted to be respected and feared.

It wasn't much to ask.

He yawned, sleep starting to win the battle against his mind. The amount of work he had to do was monstrous, but he had learned long ago to turn off any signs of emotional and human weakness -he had become like one of his computers, mind set on accomplishing one task and ignoring everything else around him. Sometimes it came to be a problem -one he had fainted from not eating or drinking for three days. It wouldn't have been sure a dire situation had he not been surviving off sandwiches, and eating them once a day on top of it.

Mokuba, of course, hated that his brother had become more of a workaholic than before. Although the 23-year-old ran the American branch of Kaiba Corporation, he had somehow managed to find the time to secure a wife and start a family without causing the company to go under. Admittedly, it was admirable, especially since Mokuba's wife was a controlling bitch, in Kaiba's opinion. He couldn't stand the wench but Mokuba, for god knew what reason, was in love with her.

For the first time in a long time, Kaiba muffled a laugh. He couldn't understand the attraction. He didn't want to, either.

Shaking his head, he struggled to concentrate on the task at hand, slightly surprised that his mind had started wandering. Granted, he hadn't seen his younger brother for nearly a year and Mokuba wasn't too happy with the absence of Kaiba when his son was born. From the thought, Kaiba found himself searching through his drawer on impulse. Inside buried underneath ledgers and documents was a printed photograph on high quality paper.

His nephew.

A Kaiba.

His eyes narrowed and the paper was thrust back into its containment.

Fuck that.

Fingers moving swiftly over the keyboard, Kaiba quickly became once more submerged within his work, barely taking time out to breathe. It wasn't until he felt slightly weakened that he paused, grimacing at the sudden annoyance. A hand reached up and pressed against his chest, trying to ebb the sudden sharp pain in it. Each breath he took was a struggle, and the mere reward for capturing air was a sensation as if someone was squeezing his heart with talons. Although he had been experiencing this pain for a while, as always he chose to ignore it. It came and it went, usually leaving a reminiscent of blood behind.

He coughed hard and doubled over, his hand reaching up to his throat. Fuck, it hurt this time.

And then came the blood.

It would be a bitch to clean.

xox

* * *

He had managed to successfully stay alive up until the Monday morning meeting when he had died.

Not literally, of course.

But his reputation was as good as dead.

At the moment, he was sitting on a white examination table in a white room, glaring at an embarrassingly thin white paper robe that the nurse tried to force on him. It was fair to say that she gave up after he gave her one of his patented glares and growled at her in his coldest voice. Scaring her should have made the visit slightly more pleasant but the room frightened him too much to bask in the glee of inflicting emotional distress. There were disturbing colored posters in the room involving the human anatomy and silver utensils that he chose not to think about.

Everything had happened so quickly leading to his current situation -trapped within the blindingly white room and awaiting some quack who would probably also be clad in white. It was like being in some twisted form of Heaven.

He preferred Hell.

He gritted his teeth, wondering when Mokuba had the gall to make such underhanded decisions on his own. Not to mention his business colleagues calling the younger Kaiba without his authorization. Why the hell couldn't they have minded their own business? Since when was someone coughing up blood and passing out in the boardroom such a big deal? He was perfectly fine a few hours later!

It pained him even to remember the details generating to his entrapment. Had he put up a decent enough fight? He wasn't sure; he was too blinded by pain to notice. His blood pressure had shot up, though, after listening to Mokuba's threats on the phone. Most, sadly, were the blatant truth. If he didn't get his health looked after, there was that damned possibility he could die. If he ended up having one of his coughing fits again, it could leak out to the press and cause investors to become weary in placing their money into a company where the CEO was practically dying.

Not to mention that he wouldn't get to take a step inside Kaiba Corporation unless he visited a general practioner regarding his health. Mokuba assured him that the doctor he would be seeing was the best of his kind. He was apparently the top of his graduating class and the most sought out practioner in the city -he had even graduated three years earlier than most students.

Not that Kaiba cared.

He was probably a psycho.

He shifted uncomfortably, wishing desperately that this person would hurry up and he could get the whole ordeal over with. Currently, a moron was running his company in his absence and Kaiba knew that every minute he was away, the company would sink further into a hole that he wasn't sure he could pull it out of. It was times like this that he wished someone had figured out how to become immortal.

The door suddenly slid open and in stepped the highly praised doctor, smiling in their fake way.

"And how are you today?" the doctor asked although Kaiba barely heard. His mind was preoccupied with screaming in disbelief, his eyes most likely bulging and mouth open slightly in shock.

xox

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(a/n: I know I have two other fics up and I do intend on finishing them. Well, that's slightly a lie. If you've noticed, this story is slightly the same as _Eternal Snow._ For more information, please visit my profile page. Thanks.) 


	2. Dr Wheeler

(Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for my ideas...which aren't that great in the first place... oO.)

(a/n: I love how most of you are taking the Joey/Tea thing. It's weird, I know, but shall all be explained... hopefully...Heh... Major thanks to everyone who reviewed! From what I can see, this story is appealing to older audiences, which I like. Now, I have to start writing like a mature and sane person...how difficult.... By the way, I'm an innocent arts student -I know little to nothing about medicine, so please be gentle! If any of you are more knowledgeable than me, please grant me some tips in your review. )

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Two: Dr. Wheeler

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-  
  
Her patient was gawking at her as if she were green. No, not just green. Green with cat ears and red eyes.

She tried not to let her smile waver although for a second it did.

"Well," she vociferated, her tone more breathy than commanding. "Why don't you tell me the problem?"

"You know what the problem is," the irate CEO growled. "Just get this over with. I'm not paying you for talking."

Inwardly, she sighed.

At three in the morning, she had been rudely awakened by a call from a representative of Kaiba Corporation. The man seemed like he was in hysterics and literally begged her to free up her schedule so that she could have a look at none other than Seto Kaiba. He was skimpy on the details, merely eluding to bouts of coughing.

To her surprise, everything regarding Kaiba's appointment was outrageously secretive. He had come in through the back, the halls had to be cleared of any patients and she was forced to free up her entire morning, just for this deranged, paranoid man. She hadn't liked it, especially after running into a pallid and trembling Nurse Tachibana emerging from the patient's designated room.

Now that she was standing in front of Seto Kaiba, clipboard in hand and stethoscope around her neck, she found the situation more surreal than she had imagined it to be. Of course she was shocked by being asked to look at Seto Kaiba, but it had happened so rapidly that the shock barely had time to settle in.

It was settling in quite nicely now.

He still remained the same arrogant jackass she had grown to know, but certainly not love. His eyes carried their same shiver inducing blueness and his hair still screamed for a haircut, bangs falling to those eyes and bringing up the thought about how his forehead probably looked like. Perhaps he was hiding something underneath that mop of chestnut hair. She felt like smirking but controlled herself.

As for his attire, he had settled on more conservative clothing when compared to his outrageously designer high school days. His broad shoulders were covered by a black suit jacket with a matching shirt and pants. She would have thought he was going to a funeral had it not been for the shockingly red tie around his neck, which seemed to add to the morbid style; a noose around his neck, streaming blood, cut throat. However, despite her wanting to be horrified by it, it enticed her. Suddenly, she wanted to see what was underneath that shirt, and when realizing that any moment she would know, her pulse increased.

She took in a deep breath, reminding herself that she was a professional. Seto Kaiba or not, he was still a patient. Like those corpses she had to operate on in med school. She winced at the memory but found the comparison quite accurate. The way Mr. Kaiba acted, he seemed like one of the living dead.

"It says here that you've been coughing a lot," she said, reading off of the clipboard. She raised her eyes to his and was greeted with an icy glare.

"You're a smart one."

"Our records also show that you haven't had a physical examination since July 7th, 1993."

"Maybe your records should be burned."

"Mr. Kaiba..." She slipped off her glasses and rubbed the lenses with the fabric of her coat before putting them back on. "I would like to give you a physical examination, if I may. You may be affected by something more serious -sometimes fatal diseases show no visible sign of degenerating the body."

_Except for the fact that you look like you're one of the living dead..._The pallid skin was definitely not a good sign.

"Fine. Just hurry up. I have a company to run."

Implicitly, she smiled. He really hadn't changed over the past twelve years.

"By the way, I'm Dr. Serenity Wheeler," she introduced, holding out her right hand. The patient made no effort to even spare a glance at it. Nervously, she pulled her hand back, all the while seething inside.

_The nerve of that man!_ her inner self hissed, slowly transforming into attack mode. However, Serenity suppressed her inner self with a few quick breaths and told herself that she was a professional. This wasn't her first time dealing with a hostile patient...although this _was_ her first time dealing with a bastardly, Joey-hating, money-throwing, selfish CEO.

"Are you going to--"

"No," he answered blatantly, not even bothering to listen to her question.

"Mr. Kaiba--"

"No."

"In order to--"

"No."

"Properly examine--"

"No."

Her little fists balled into potential weapons of mass destruction. However, she would keep them under wraps until she knew they were necessary.

Putting the ear pieces of her stethoscope on, Serenity, for the first time in a while, felt hesitant about the simple task of hearing the patient's heartbeat. She was about to ask him to take his jacket and shirt off but was surprised that he did it willingly before she vociferated the question.

"Deep breaths," she ordered, although felt stupid afterward. As she pressed the cold disk to his lean chest and listened to what should have been the rhythmic pulse of his heartbeat, she could also feel him looking at her in such a disdainful way that it seemed like he was boring holes into her. However, her discomfort quickly dissolved when she realized that his pulse was faster than it should have been, breaking into the definition of tachycardia1. After checking his back and discovering the same thing, she pulled away and glanced at him.

"Mr. Kaiba, have you been noticing any symptoms lately.. dizziness, shortness of breath...?" she asked, drawing away and returning the stethoscope to its position around her neck.

"No," he insisted. "I'm fine."

_Like hell you are..._ her inner self thought, observing the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He was clearly having difficulty breathing; if she was smart, she would send him to the hospital right away. However, this was Seto Kaiba she was dealing with. She knew that she had to have hard core evidence that something serious was ailing him before he would take a step into a hospital.

She scribed down some notes onto her clipboard and proceeded with the rest of the tests. She was abnormally quiet, a shocking difference from her usual bantering when with a patient. She could sense that Kaiba was giving her the most loathing glare she would ever receive in her life, worse than one given by a reluctant nine-year-old forced into her office by his mother. Worse than someone in need of a blood test who happened to have a phobia of needles. Just _worse_.

The rest of the tests didn't fare any better than the first. His blood pressure was skyrocketing, she discovered a shockingly raw throat and when she pulled out the tongue blade, the pale reminiscent pinkness of blood was visible. She quickly checked his lymph nodes, using her fingers to apply a steady pressure and she felt the glands. Thankfully, they were normal sized. When she examined her lower abdomen, he had winced from her applying pressure. Her inquiries were answered with the same response.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me before I send you to do some other tests?" she asked, ticking off the boxes _CBC & Differential, hemoglobin and reticulocyte count_ underneath the _Hemotology_ heading and following with sections underneath _General Chemistry_.

"No."

"It's a good thing your brother brought you here. Your blood pressure is high for someone your age," she said, folding her arms. Kaiba slipped off the examination table, delivering her another one of his glares, and responded by putting on his shirt. "And I'm worried about your rapid heart rate."

"So what the hell am I supposed to do about it?"

"I recommend a healthier lifestyle. Less work, more exercise, and..." She turned her back to him to reach into a drawer and pull out several sheets. After scanning over them, she circled several groups and handed him the papers. "Follow this dietary list."

"So I'm done?"

"Well, not exactly..." She retrieved her clipboard, which was balancing precariously on the edge of the sink. Unclipping the white and turquoise sheet she had been scribing on previously, she handed it to him. "This is a Routine Requisition. Please take it to the lab next door after you've fasted for 24 hours; once your tests are done, I'll be able to give you a more in depth prognosis."

"I don't have time for this..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba, but without these tests done, your checkup will be incomplete."

"Useless woman..." She could hear him mutter as he left the room, clenching the papers so tightly that they were most likely crumpled. Once he was out of sight, Serenity released a heavy sigh and crumbled herself against the wall.

Healthier lifestyle...like hell. She had clearly lied to him in fear of being the one to tell him that there was much more wrong with him. So much more.

* * *

Seated in her office, Serenity was mulling over Kaiba's results from the examination. The information in her mind and from books were giving her the same ominous result and in anger, she folded her arms and banged her head against the desk. She knew she was in for a challenge; however, for the first time in her practice, she didn't feel capable of it. Seto Kaiba was a strong man -if he would break from the potential bad news she would bear, she didn't know what _she_ would do.

"Ren-bunny!"

Serenity cringed from the god-forsaken nickname but quickly plastered a fake smile on her face as she turned around to greet her brother.

"Big brother!" she chirped, her voice abnormally pitched high and seeping of what could only be defined as 'cuteness'. Her older brother punched her affectionately on the shoulder and in return, she giggled rather stupidly.

_Here we go again..._ her inner self spat, disgusted by the routine. _You'd think that after twenty-five years he would lay off... not that you're any better, Ren-bunny._

"How goes my lil' doctor?" Joey asked, taking a seat at Serenity's desk. Her office was rather small, mainly filled with books. Her bookcase was filled completely, books even laying on top of books until there was not a single visible space left. Now, her books lay in mountainous piles on the floor. When Joey sat down, he was nearly dwarfed by one of the piles.

Serenity shrugged, continuing to pack up her notes into her briefcase."Same old, same old," she said, smiling. If only Joey knew who her most recent patient had been today; however, a contract prevented her from saying anything. In a sense, although she was exhausted from the entirety of the examination, she felt saddened from what symptoms she had seen. After carefully going over her notes, she could only pinpoint Kaiba being ailed by either a severe virus, hemosiderosis or, god forbid, lung cancer.

She had a sudden impulse to ask Joey about Kaiba's life but knew she couldn't. Even the slightest question would raise suspicion. There was no way she would find out anything else about Kaiba until she got those results back from the laboratory.

"X-ray..." she muttered to herself, retrieving some papers from her briefcase and scribbling quickly on them.

"That doesn't sound good," Joey commented and Serenity started. Blushing, she shoved the papers back into her briefcase.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"You seem worried about this person," Joey observed, walking past Serenity and weaving his way through the book mine to grab her winter jacket, appropriately draped on yet another pile of hardcovers. "You normally don't mutter to yourself about patients."

"I've only been in practice for a year," she said, smiling nervously. "I haven't had to deal with any serious cases until now..."

"What about that woman... the one who went in labor when she was stuck in traffic?" Her brother shook his head. "God, if you hadn't been there..."

A sudden sadness washed over the usually gregarious and upbeat man and Serenity felt a part of it. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she offered him a sympathetic smile.

"If I can save a life, I will do anything," she whispered. After giving her brother a quick hug, Serenity slipped into her sky blue pea coat and followed up by twisting a thin black scarf around her neck with matching mittens. "Movie?"

"Yeah... Heh... something happy, 'kay?"

She nodded, smiling genuinely this time. She had to admit, she liked it when her brother depended on her for a change. It tended to annoy her when everyone assumed she was generally helpless, which was one of the reasons she had become a doctor. Med school had been a pain, but she worked her butt off in order to gain the highest GPA and become one of the most sought-after practitioners in the city. Truthfully, that hadn't been her intention at all -her goal was to work in a small clinic and that was exactly what she was doing. She refused the higher paying and larger clinics, fearing the stress that would come with it. Therefore, it amazed her that Kaiba Corporation had managed to find her. And that, ironically, stress came with it.

"Ren?"

Serenity snapped out of her thoughts to see her brother gazing at her, his honey brows furrowed and lips downcast.

"It's nothing," she said before Joey could ask anything else. Her response resulted in him being more unnerved.

"Ren, you usually tell me everything..."

"I can't tell you everything, Joey," she said, stopping suddenly. They had just exited the clinic and saw a familiar limousine pulling out. Joey cast Serenity an amazed look and she found herself surprised as well.

"Some big shot here?" he asked, perplexed.

"Maybe..."

If he had gone for the further tests, he had accomplished them fairly quickly. Serenity found herself frowning in disapproval and silently, for the first time, ill wished Seto Kaiba.

xox

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Tachycardia: Abnormally fast heart beat, caused by the ventricular chambers (in your heart) beating too quickly.

(a/n: Let's see if anyone knows where the concept of Serenity's inner self comes from...? Uhm, sorry this chapter is so cruddy and short. Not to mention that 'Quick Edit' thing hates me and ruined my pretty formatting. I know it's hard to read something that's not visually appealing. Next chapter... uhh... when I'm motivated enough to write it!)


	3. Fasting Bites

(a/n: Congrats to **penguiin **and **elsiey **for knowing about the 'inner self' concept, stolen from Sakura herself in _Naruto_. I'm so bad. XD. Man, you guys are great motivators. I didn't expect as many reviews as I got for the chapter. . Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I wish I could address you all, but I promise that regular reviewers will be addressed for at least one chapter. Just a slight warning; although this story seems humorous, the later chapters will delve into major angst. Woohoo! **BubblyBoo**, it's excellent you noticed Serenity's slight spite for Joey. That will be elaborated on further in the story. And thanks to **Jieli**; I don't think Kaiba's tachardya is caused by an extra nerve, but it's a good thing to keep in mind. I'm glad that I've gotten some things right regarding the condition. shudder The thought of surgeries makes my body hurt. Why am I writing this story again...? )

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Three: Fasting Bites

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_Stupid doctor_... Kaiba hissed, walking out the room with the papers in hand. He had half the mind to chuck them in the garbage he was passing by, but he needed this examination. Sickening.

The lab was not as bad as being in the hands of that woman. The thought of needles piercing his skin was fine; it was the warmth of something human touching him that caused his skin to crawl. It did, dammit! Her hands were _not_ soft, her hair _not _lustrous, her breath certainly _not_ like the caress of a soft breeze from a midsummer night's dream--

Silently, he told himself to stop watching those Harlequin movies on television when he was too lazy to bother changing the channel. Anyway, it was wrong on multiple levels to be attracted to a physician. She probably thought of him as one of those bodies she must have operated on in med school.

Returning home in an irate mood, he didn't bother taking off his shoes and tracked mud onto the immaculate marble floor. From the corner of his eye he could see the entering maid's face fall in dismay at the mess before her.

"Mr. Kaiba, welcome home," she greeted, her expression deceitfully sunny. "A meal has been prepared for you--"

"Don't bother."

Coldly brushing past the maid, he decided to hibernate within his office. He always found that sleeping on the leather couch was more comfortable than a bed.

* * *

Following an extensive day of shopping, Serenity gratefully entered her apartment room and dumped her various bags onto the floor. Sometimes she wished she worked more -then she would have an excuse not to spend as much money as she usually did. It amazed her sometimes that Joey willingly agreed to go into a store with her when her attention became so easily snagged by something beautiful in a store window. 

Stripping off her clothing once in the bathroom, Serenity stepped into the tub. She was in the process of lathering her hair with shampoo when the phone began to ring. She decided she would let the answering machine get it but jumped out of the shower when she heard who was calling.

"Dr. Atwood, hello!" Serenity greeted, a towel messily wrapped around herself and her hair dripping wet. She silently prayed that her current wet state wouldn't cause something to electrocute. The headlines wouldn't be pretty -she would come off looking like her true self, that being a woman who possessed little to no common sense. There was a saying that the smartest people lacked common sense, and if a psychological study was done on her, that saying would be justified.

_"Ah, I knew you were home!" _the warm and deep voice of an elderly man greeted her. "_I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering whether you would be interested in attending a Halloween party...?"_

"A Halloween party?" Serenity repeated into the phone, half heartedly listening to the man on the other end. The bubbles from the shampoo were popping irritatingly in her ear and the rest crackled in her hair, like macabre pop-rocks. Not to mention the water on her skin evaporating rapidly, allowing the cold air to attack her.

_"Serenity, it's for charity, and I know it would make a lot of people happy to see you there,"_ Atwood stated from the other line. Serenity wanted to sigh, but she respected Dr. Atwood too much to risk sounding bored or annoyed. Throughout medical school, he had been her role model, and everything she did was in hope to reach his position. After all, he was the surgeon who had operated on her eyes those many years ago.

When she finally had passed medical school, he immediately hired her to work for a branch of his company. Ever since then, she had become a favorite of his and was required to attend nearly every function as a representative. Consistently, she was pulled away from the punch bowl she liked to acquaint herself with and Atwood would show her off, bragging about her outstanding marks and tender age of graduation. It was overly embarrassing, but there was nothing she would do about it.

"Do I have to dress up?" she asked, unfamiliar with the western tradition.

_"Of course!"_ he replied, following with a hearty laugh. It struck to Serenity that he would make an excellent Santa Clause, with his rounded belly, glasses and snow white hair. _"The Mrs. and I are going as 16th Century nobles."_

"I can't wait to see it," Serenity replied, actually interested. "Should I bring a guest?"

_"It wouldn't hurt...Although there are plenty of young men there who would be fascinated by you, if you know what I mean."_

She gulped. Sadly, she knew exactly what he meant: another one of his pathetic, although kind-hearted, attempts at setting her up with some corporate big shot. She shuddered when reminiscing about the horrible men she had met at previous parties; there was no wonder why they were single.

"I'll think about it..."

_"Friday, October 31st, Serenity. I expect to see you there."_ There was a pause. _"And please wear something nice. No ghoulish masks or makeup, got it?"_

"Of course..."

_"And by nice I mean you should wear what my secretary will send to your office tomorrow."_

"That's too kind--"

_"No it's not."_

He had a point. She was miserable when it came to dressing for events. At the last Christmas party she had attended, she chose to wear a plaid green tweed suit. To say the least, she certainly didn't blend in. Mrs. Atwood chased her around for half the party insisting that if Serenity wrapped herself in one of the red tablecloths, she would look considerably more attractive.

"Right. I'll be looking forward to see what Mrs. Atwood will pick out for me."

_"Who said the Mrs. will have a part in this? Well, I've overstayed my phone time. The invite will be in the mail."_

The phone hung up with a sharp click, although Serenity still held hers lazily to her ear. It was October 27th. Talk about short notice.

* * *

Kaiba was awoken by the shrill ringing of the telephone. He waited for someone to answer it but when there was no one prompt enough, he got up himself. His legs felt like brittle uncooked spaghetti, ready to snap underneath his weight and his eyes were dry and burning. As he picked up the phone, he attempted to make out the time on the majestic grandfather clock a few feet away from him. 

_6:45...?_

"_Seto, I've been trying to get a hold of you!_" an energetic voice greeted him. "_I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time?"_

"No, I was just going over some of the stock bonds..." Kaiba replied, suppressing yawning. There was no way he was going to let his brother think that he was getting old. It was amazing, yet slightly disgusting, that Mokuba could possess such vigor after being exposed to an infant for part of the time. There was always the possibility that he slept elsewhere, though. A cruel smile spread onto his lips at the thought of Rebecca having to endure a screaming child.

"_You work too much. Hey, you should come with us to Tahiti. I know you hate..."_

As Mokuba continued to ramble, Kaiba listened half awake, answering with a disinterested, "Mm-hmm" and trying to figure out what he had to do... He was hungry but something was preventing him from eating... but what? Mind still fogged by sleep, it took him a moment to register what had happened on account of his dear, younger brother on the other end.

"Hold it," Kaiba commanded, cutting Mokuba off mid-sentence. "Today, you forced me to see a doctor regarding my health."

"_Seto, you know it's because I care about you--"_

"That's not the point!" he snapped and he could imagine Mokuba flinching on the other end. "That... doctor you sent me to was a _woman_."

"_Really?"_ There was a pause on the other end._ "Was she hot?"_

"Mokuba!"

_"Sorry, I just went with a recommendation from Domino Hospital,_" he explained languidly. Kaiba knew that tone of voice well enough to conclude that his younger was suppressing laughter. _"I didn't think it would bother you so much that she had an x chromosome rather than y. Tell me, do we know her?"_

"I've never seen her before in my life," Kaiba answered. His stomach suddenly grumbled and he sat down on the floor in an attempt to make it stop. Food was something he loved, an unknown fact.

_"Too bad. So, how were the results?"_

"I still have to get some tests done."

_"I'm sure you'll be fine--"_

"You're a contradicting liar."

_"Well, what do you want me to say? 'I hope they find out you're dying!'?"_

There was a moment of silence, which Mokuba attempted to break by apologizing. When it was clear that neither brother was willing to talk, Mokuba excused himself, leaving Kaiba sitting in the dark of the room, phone beside him.

Staring at nothing, his thoughts were jumbled, jumping from his acknowledgement of his deteriorating relationship with his brother to the doctor, who had stared at him with that _look_.

Mr. Kaiba, have you been noticing any symptoms lately... dizziness, shortness of breath...?

Why had he lied to her?

Why was he playing with his health so precariously?

The woman was only trying to do her job and she seemed genuinely afraid for him. He got up, pausing a moment to cough into his right hand. Flecks of blood moistly clung onto the delicate skin of his palm, embedding into the ridges. He quickly washed his hand, dissolving any trace of the crimson stickiness. The wraith-like thought of calling her went down the drain with the blood.

She would eventually find out herself.

* * *

Sleep seemed like his only salvation from the literally gut wrenching pain of food deprivation. When he awoke, it was parallel to being brought back to hell on earth while his stomach screamed, cried and shrieked. 

"Shut up..." he mumbled, throwing off his duck down covers and staggering to the washroom. He stared at the toothpaste wearily, remembering that it made him hungry, before spreading it on his toothbrush and proceeding with cleaning his teeth. Ten minutes later he emerged from the washroom, his stomach feeling more empty than before. There was a point where he almost wanted to eat his shaving gel, but decided against it after remembering Mokuba's experience with it when Kaiba was just learning how to shave.

Returning to his bedroom, Kaiba changed slowly and his eyes drifted to the time on the wall.

_6:57 am._

Four more hours to go.

Brain officially scrambled after digesting television for half an hour (even the news made him want to scream in aggravation), he was ready to exit the house in favor of -god forbid- _nature_, when Rolf stopped him.

"Sir, I'm not sure you should go out alone in your condition," he said, earning a glare from Kaiba.

"I'm not old and senile yet," the CEO growled before walking out the door. Rolf followed him.

"Shall I cancel your appointments today, Sir?"

"While you're at it, leave me alone," Kaiba hissed, an infamous misanthropist. Climbing into his awaiting limousine, Kaiba mumbled the name 'Domino Clinic' before the car sped off. Once in the heart of the city, the car slowed down until it literally stopped. Stagnated by traffic, Kaiba impatiently and hungrily waited for it to thin out. He wanted food, dammit! He wanted the results back that stated he was _fine_ and that _woman_ was a paranoid freak. That seemed to be a reoccurring trait, now that he dwelled on it. Women were all paranoid freaks.

Tea was convinced that he needed friendship and love, but she obviously was blinded to the fact that he was the richest man in Japan while she and her cronies were...well... themselves. Useless. He had made it twenty-seven years without having to befriend someone and he was perfectly content. He couldn't speak for Tea, whatever she was doing.

Ishizu, on the other hand, was certain about his Egyptian Past as a priest(1). He had dismissed it as 'hocus pocus' before and he wasn't afraid to do it again. It was a relief that she and her insane brother were no longer in the country -then again, it would have been enjoyable to get them deported for illegal drug trafficking. What else could explain Ishizu's 'visions' and Marik's sudden shift in personality? Cocaine did wonders. Ecstasy probably did more.

(2)Rebecca believed he was a bad influence on his brother, which was ridiculous. She had such ludicrous theories about how Kaiba Corp could be more efficiently run, and hell would become the next Disneyland if he allowed her to meddle with his precious company. Psychotic bitch.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Kaiba asked in an unusually calm voice.

"I'm not sure, Sir."

He never answered. Instead, his eyes wandered to the boutiques across from them. The limousine was parked so closely that he could see directly into the stores. When the crowd cleared slightly, a shock of red caught his eye from the clothing boutique and the bearer turned around to reveal _her._

_That woman_... he realized, staring at her. What the hell had Mokuba been thinking, getting a _female_ to examine him? Everyone knew that women were considered the lesser gender because they were so disgustingly weak and fragile, not to mention _emotional_. And this one, oh _this_ one, seemed like one of the greater evils. For one thing, his attention was actually drawn to her as she practically glided through the store, arms filled with various sweaters. Her hair flared behind her like the tongues of Vulcan's fire, forced to dance in delirium from the sight of Venus. Under her long white lab coat he hadn't noticed her curvy and slim figure, her upper body perfectly accentuated from the dark and light violet striped ribbed turtleneck sweater she wore. The only disappointment for him was her choice in skirt, which was a dark, wooly ugly thing ending just below her knees and hiding the rest of her creamy legs.

"Mr. Kaiba? Mr. Kaiba? Mr. Kaiba?" repeated the chauffeur. The CEO snapped out of his delirium and flushed momentarily from embarrassment.

"What?" he snapped.

"N-nothing, Sir, I just--"

"Shut up. Go."

"Yes, Sir."

As the car began to drive again, Kaiba began to have second thoughts about the visit to the clinic. Of course, it was appropriate to get miserable things over with, but somehow he felt like he was in a battle with his own doctor. There was no way she could look so wonderful once out of the office. So _human_. He knew who and what she was -a demon woman who would probably alter his results to make it _seem_ like he was fatally ill.

His stomach grumbled again and he found himself sighing. He didn't go through all of that torture for nothing. He would unfortunately have to comply with the tests -and in fact, if she said _anything_ regarding his health being in poor condition, he would simply ask for another doctor. He was a fair man, after all.

At the clinic, he was actually forced to endure a long waiting period. In reality, it was only half an hour, but his mind tended to warp things when he was placed in such a lowly atmosphere. The waiting room was smaller than his washroom, complete with gray tweed chairs and old magazines. For half the time he sat still, attempting to block out the sounds of the screaming toddler twins who were running around the room with faux airplanes.

"_Vrooooooom!_"

"_Rooooar!"_

"Timmy, planes don't go 'Roar'!"

"Yes they do."

"No, they don't."

"Yes, they do."

The mother was oblivious to the growing argument, mindlessly thumbing through an old edition of _Flare._

"Do, do, do!"

"Don't, don't, don't!"

Suddenly, the noise stopped. Kaiba was confused until he felt a mind irritation of a finger prodding his knee. He looked down to see the twins in front of him and was startled, but didn't show it.

"Mister, what sounds do planes make?" one of them asked quietly, his amethyst eyes wide. Kaiba stared at him for a moment before answering, "Vroom" in a deadpan tone.

"I knew it!" the boy shrieked in delight while the other pouted. Feeling suddenly sorry for the other twin, Kaiba picked up one of the piled magazines and ripped out a page. Expertly, he folded it until a miniature dragon was made. Softly, he tapped on the boy's shoulder, who was standing still and staring at his brother, and handed him the paper dragon.

"This one goes 'Roar'," he said, a genuine smile coming to his normally straight lips. The little boy cautiously took it from him, his mouth parted in awe.

"T-thanks..." he managed, eyes still wide in reverence for the magnificent beast created from a torn magazine page. When he snapped out of his stupor, the boy ran to his mother to show off his dragon.

* * *

"I'll be there right away," Serenity said and then sighed, snapping her cell phone shut with one hand. Weaving her way through the store, Serenity made an entire round before coming upon her companion for the day. The girl was holding a teal and black dress, probably contemplating whether or not it would be racy enough for her latest social gathering, which was more business than social. 

"I hate this," she said upon noticing Serenity. "I wish Joey had a _normal_ job. Then I wouldn't have to go through this grief."

"I really like what you're doing for him, though," Serenity said, shifting her purse to the other arm. "The last thing I want is for him to quit on the wrong terms."

Tea released a mock laugh and shook her head. "You can never quit when it comes to the _yakuza._ He'll be lucky if he makes it out alive."

"He's also doing this for you, Tea," the young doctor snapped, disliking it when people chastised her brother because of his occupation. Out of all the things he could have done, he had to become a member of the _yakuza._ Quite a valued one, at that. However, he was also an apathetic one, refusing to yield by the Boss's orders and somehow managing to remain living. It was a mystery that tore apart the muscles in the brain, but do greater damage if one attempted to solve it. Joey was quite personal about his 'occupation', so no one dared to bring it up.

Tea was silent, for once deciding not to respond. The dress still held in her hands, she stared at it while kneading the fabric, lost within the laments in her mind. Although it amazed many people, Serenity was overjoyed when Joey announced his engagement to Tea. Of course, there were tiny details, such as how had the relationship developed and why they would become involved with one another when Joey was a _gurentai_, dealing with the most gritty and dirty in the underworld of the Japanese mafia. Perhaps that was why it seemed like Tea's soul had been captured the moment she had agreed to marry Joey. Serenity couldn't say that she had fallen in love -that seemed too idealistic. There was something else beneath their relationship. But Joey was happy. That was all she cared about.

"Tea, I'm sorry, but I'm needed at the Domino Laboratory," Serenity stated, guilt consuming her like tar at the sight of Tea's fallen face.

"I understand," she said, her voice sounding strained. "I'm actually going to go, also."

"Your dress...?"

"It doesn't matter."

Although Serenity could easily afford a car, the cramped streets refused her the luxury and she found herself on the train, as always. Roughly an hour later she arrived at the laboratory in time to run into the back and grab a pile of forms to sift through.

"So you just need me to do some blood tests?" she asked, lifting her eyes to the front desk nurse.

"Yes indeedy," she answered, her voice far from cheery and more monotonous. "Just for an hour until the relief comes in." She finally looked up from her paperwork and sent Serenity a sympathetic look. "Thank you so much, Dr. Wheeler. I can't express my gratitude enough. If there was any other doctor--"

"Don't worry," Serenity broke through, smiling. "I'm here to help people, regardless of my position."

Files in hand, Serenity left the front desk but stopped before entering the main laboratory. That voice sounded familiar.

"_Vroom"_

But it couldn't possibly be him... could it?

* * *

Kaiba was appalled. After having to endure horrible tests, an _x-ray _test was added to the lengthy list. He knew there was no way he would be able to go to work today, and after missing yesterday, there would be a horrendous mound of work waiting for him tomorrow. He almost groaned at the prospect, but he was so hungry that it was difficult to even complain. 

"Around the corner will be Room 102," the nurse was saying. "In there you will have your blood test done."

Kaiba wordlessly took the papers from her, hating that he was surrounded by women. Of course, male nurses were an insult, but he hated the looks he was getting from these desperate, middle-aged women. One girl kept dropping things whenever she passed by him.

He entered Room 102 to see the back of the nurse as she fiddled with some vials and scribbled something down on a sheet of paper. She was a small thing, reminding him of a high school girl, with long auburn hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a lab coat that seemed too big for her tiny frame. After taking a few steps into the room, she sensed his presence and turned around.

Her smile instantly froze, while he could feel his blood pressure increasing.

"Don't tell me _you're_ the one who's going to be taking my blood!" he found himself saying as he backed up slightly. "And aren't you a doctor?"

"Please, have a seat," she said, completely ignoring everything he had said. He complied, taking care not to have any contact with her. Although he wanted to ignore her, he found himself staring at her as she took out a pair of glasses from the lab coat and put them on.

"You added on an x-ray," Kaiba stated as she prepared the syringe. Her gaze flickered to him, which annoyed him slightly, before she answered coolly, "That I did."

"I had to drink some noxious white chalky substance on account of you."

"Roll up your left sleeve and then place your arm on the table, please."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"No."

She tied a rubber tourniquet tightly above his elbow and for a strange reason, he could feel his pulse quicken whenever her fingers brushed against his skin. She seemed indifferent to this, however, continuing with applying pressure with her thumb onto veins bulging from inside of his elbow.

Turning around for a brief moment, she retrieved the syringe and inserted it into his vein. Quickly, the crimson liquid filled the vial and when she was satisfied, the doctor removed the needle and fluently replaced it with a cotton ball.

"Apply pressure to that," she ordered after removing the tourniquet and Kaiba felt a part of his pride was wounded as he listened to her. His stupid arm was throbbing, too.

With surgical tape, she wrapped his arm and the cotton ball. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Stop talking to me as if I'm a child," he hissed in response. Rolling down his sleeve, Kaiba stood up and waited to see if there was anything else to be done. When the doctor announced that he was due for his next test, he grumbled.

"It's in Room 45 on the first floor. You'd better hurry up," she commented, handing him some papers. "_Vroom._"

Kaiba froze in place, unable to believe how she had just humiliated him. When he turned around in fury, she was covering her mouth, attempting to smother her giggles. Realizing that it would be pointless to argue with her, or even express his supposed disdain for her, he returned to his previous position and left the room.

Stupid woman.

Funny how he couldn't remember her name.

* * *

That night, Seto Kaiba had a dream. He was once again in that dreadful examination room and everything was blindingly white. That witch of a doctor, clad in a tight fitting white dress, had her hands on his neck and for some reason, he wasn't ready to vomit from disgust. Her tender and slim hands rose up the delicate flesh before she leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his jugular. Her snowflake soft lips barely brushed against him but nonetheless his pulse heightened. He could sense his own hands moving toward her and despite his conscious screaming in protest, his unconscious pulled her against him. In the searing white purity of the room, her lips were rose red, clashing against her opal skin. With his thumb, he traced her jaw line, inwardly wondering why she was so pale. 

Those lips called to him. He placed a hand tenderly on the back of her head and another under her chin. Lifting her head to his, their mouths were close to meeting before she spoke, her voice a raspy, high pitched whisper.

_"I'm dying, Seto..._"

* * *

(1)regarding the Egyptian Arc, I'm going by the manga, where Kaiba doesn't actually participate in journeying into the past like in the anime. In fact, I'm convinced that the manga ends with Kaiba remaining skeptical about his previous life as Atemu's priest and advisor. 

(2)I know I didn't mention Mai. :D

(a/n: Oh sigh. Boring chapter, I know. I'm looking forward to writing all the wonderful SxS bits just as much as you lovelies are anticipating reading it. But... fillers are required. Feedback, please and thanks! My brain needs it to function properly.)


	4. The Paranoid Freak

(a/n: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! **Walis **you're completely right. Seto is a lean, sexy eating-machine. It's so unfair... **Earthborne**I'm glad that you like the medical terms. I'm actually quite ignorant when it comes to anything associated with health care. I haven't even applied for my own coverage yet _/I hope I don't break my leg or something anytime soon…/._ **the White Feather**, you're right about the 'vociferate' thing, it is a bit out of place. I started using it as a joke after I read _A Tale of Two Cities_ and then it just stuck. I'll try to tone it down, though! And finally, **FrozenWolf, **brussel sprouts are evil. Sorry I didn't address everyone, but like I mentioned last chapter, I'll try to address regular reviewers as much as possible. Okay, now on with the story! I _did_ spend all of my spares writing this. It's too cold to wander to the sciences building where all of my friends are… It's so depressing… I'm so lonely…_/sobs/._ Hey, why are you still reading my messed up ramblings?! )

---

**_Four: The Paranoid Freak._**

---

A day later, Serenity woke up groggy and annoyed. Trudging out of bed like one of the dead, she cleaned herself up and went out to check the mail. Bill after bill passed through her site before she was genuinely awoken by an unfamiliar envelope with her name and address scrawled on it in curvy italics. Ripping open the paper, she was shocked to see a pitch black invite with silver lettering in the same fancy scrawl.

_Dr. Serenity Wheeler_

_You are cordially invited to attend Kaiba Corporation's annual Halloween Party for the Children's Charity._

_15390-83 Avenue, __Kodancha__ Road_

_Please attend wearing an appropriate costume; a mask is also required._

_RSVP by October 30th._

"**Kaiba**** Corp**?" she nearly screeched, having forgotten completely about the CEO and his company. Rushing back into her apartment room, Serenity stared at the invite again before shaking her head. She couldn't back out, especially not when it was for charity. Dr. Atwood requested (no, demanded) that she attend and, as much as she hated to admit it, she had nothing better to do. But there was a problem. There was no way in hell she could ask her brother to attend with her, which had been her plan in the first place.

"Who the hell else do I know?" she asked herself outloud. Closing herself up in books for the past near-decade had left Serenity socially alienated. The only people she knew were through her older brother and who would willingly go with her to Kaiba Corp?

Pacing around the house, the struggled to think of who would be the perfect (or willing) companion for her.

Well, there was Tea, but she was already sick enough of having to attend functions. Not to mention the tiny drinking problem she had picked up from being stressed all the time about Joey. Serenity was beginning to worry that Yugi would catch it like a disease, considering that he frequently associated with the married couple.

Yugi was not a good idea -if Kaiba realized he was there, he would probably make up some excuse to challenge him to a pointless game. The guy never did take losing lightly.

Duke Devlin was completely out of the question. She hadn't seen him in years, not after she had blatantly told him that he scared her. That wasn't the truth, however; he actually annoyed her and after she found out about the 'Joey-in-a-dog-suit' incident, she decided she would have nothing to do with him. No one messed with her family, and Duke had to be the most pompus jerk in the world to think that she would overlook the incident and go out with him. Just _thinking_ about him made her breathing increase with anger.

Tristan, well, they had lost touch with him after High School. He had been accepted into Tokyo University, where Serenity would join him a few years later. Serenity could honestly say that he was the nicest man she had ever known, but by the time she had realized that perhaps she felt something for him, it was too late. He was engaged, then married, and finally moved out of the country.

Defeated, she fell onto the couch and simply lay there, staring at her red _tansu_. The phone began to ring and having a deprecating feeling that it was Dr. Atwood on the other line, she made no effort to move. The beep of the answering machine came on after three rings, followed by Serenity's automated voice.

"_Hi, you've reached Serenity Wheeler. I'm not home right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."_

_"Uhh... Hey Serenity, it's me. Ryou. Uhm... well... Joey said that you were probably home but I--"_

"Ryou!" Serenity practically shouted into the phone after leaping for it. Yes! He was the one! The one that would take her to the party! She felt like Cinderella after finding her androgynous Prince Charming.

_"Oh, you are home!"_ Bakura exclaimed, his soft voice like a melody to her ears. _"I... I just called to see whether you were interested in another sake set...This one is circa 1933, I believe. I found it--"_

Partially following in his father's footsteps, Bakura dropped out of college after three years of archaeology and started his own business selling antiques. Of course, he first targeted his friends as potential customers and Serenity happened to be a regular of his, mainly because he adored her choice in antiques. Her apartment was filled with _tansu_antique_ kimono_, and valuable china from the 18th and 19th century.

"Yes, I'll buy it!" Cutting Bakura cleanly off was not a difficult task, since he was a timid speaker. "But I need you to do me a favour."

_"Well...okay..."_

A broad smile seeped onto her lips. If there was anything Bakura could not do, it was refuse a customer, especially one as pretty as Serenity.

---

The party was held within a lavish hall that resided on the sixth floor of the company. A black and orange scheme appropriately decorated the room, where streamers, balloons and ghoulish figures hung from nearly every crevice. As Serenity walked through the entrance, she batted some misty fake spider webs away from her face and attempted to view the guests. Unfortunately, the fog was heavy and made it nearly impossible to see anything.

"They've done a wicked job," Bakura stated, but blushed when Serenity sent him an annoyed look. "No pun intended, of course."

"I didn't think so," she replied half heartedly. They silently ventured further in the room, absorbing their surroundings and the high society individuals who were unnaturally dressed in costume. Of course, none of the women wore anything ghoulish, costumed as fairies, medieval figures and sexy witches. Bakura was clearly drawn to the amount of cleavage and legs bared, but Serenity could hardly chastise him. Although he was dressed conservatively as a sorcerer, wearing a concealing dark robe, she was an unoriginal vampiress. Her gown was tight fitting, exposing curves that rarely anyone had the privilege of witnessing and dipped low enough to reveal a good portion of cleavage. There was a high slit in the skirt, which reached up to her mid-thigh. She knew she should have chucked the dress out when she got it. Despite her reverence for Dr. Atwood, he was a pervert, plain and simple.

Her hair was tied up with lose strands framing her face and a mask hung from around her neck, which she would wear when required.

"Serenity, you made it!" Dr. Atwood cried out, causing both Serenity and Bakura to jump. "And who do we have here? A boyfriend?"

Serenity blushed madly. "No! He's just a friend of mine. Bakura, this is Dr. Atwood. Dr. Atwood, Ryou Bakura."

They shook hands and nodded politely to one another. "Have you met the CEO of Kaiba Corporation yet, Serenity? He's a fine fellow. Auctioning off some fine Halloween items for charity tonight, not to mention the dance competition. You should take part in that."

"I don't dance," Serenity excused, smiling sweetly. "And I have met Mr. Kaiba. Very nice man."

_He probably had nothing to do with the arrangements tonight_, her inner self deduced, wishing she could see Kaiba so that she could glare daggers at him._ Moreover, it's all probably some scheme to help his reputation after that disastrous sniper game his company released last year..._

"Did you hear that, dear?" Mrs. Atwood slapped her husband's arm. "She thinks he's a _nice man_."

The couple exchanged looks and then laughed uproariously, causing Serenity's cheeks to burn, inner self to fume and thoughts scramble. Bakura, being very keen on her emotional distress, grabbed her upper arm and flashed one of his dashing smiles.

"If you two don't mind, I would like to steal Serenity for a dance."

"Go ahead, go ahead!" Mrs. Atwood urged, and the two went off to exert misery on someone else's life.

Serenity sighed in relief, leaning against Bakura's velvet robed arm in gratefulness. "I knew you were the right person to bring."

Bakura gulped, not to Serenity's notice, and struggled to breathe properly. "T-thanks."

"You _are_ having a good time, aren't you?" she asked, suddenly pulling away from him and staring into his rich brown eyes. Offering one of his trademark smiles, Bakura nodded.

"Of course. I wouldn't be happier with anyone else."

Grinning, Serenity latched onto his arm again, feeling suddenly like an abashed teenager. Bakura certainly was fragrant with his words, but she didn't mind. He spoke the truth. They were prepared to enter the dance floor but were stopped by a tall man in shades and a suit.

"You got a number?" he asked and Serenity cast Bakura a questioning look. Her friend shrugged in response.

"No," he answered, although his tone made the word more of a question. The man nodded and signalled to someone by raising his hand. Quickly, another suited man rushed to them and held out a silver box.

"What is this?" Serenity asked, already reaching into the box and fishing out a number imprinted on a round button.

_18..._

Bakura followed her and was about to show his number when the man shook his head. "Your number is confidential. When we announce it, you must find your designated partner and dance."

The seriousness of his voice mixed with the light-hearted situation caused Serenity to start laughing, but she quickly muffled her mirth. Bakura, spurned on by Serenity's outburst, chuckled slightly as well and the man turned crimson.

"If you excuse me..." With that statement, he disappeared, allowing Serenity and Bakura to stop hindering their amusement and break out into laughter. After a few moments, Serenity was leaning on Bakura and a few people who passed them shook their heads, believing the pair to be drunk.

"My stomach..." Bakura complained in between breaths for air.

"Well, my face hurts!" his partner exclaimed.

"But you do look pretty when you smile..."

Uncertain about how to react, Serenity stood straight and attempted to regain her dignity. "Thank you," she managed, blushing slightly. Looking away, she fiddled with the button in her hand and flinched when she felt Bakura's hand over hers.

"Let me put that on for you--"

"No!" she said too loudly, gathering stares. "I'm okay. Really, it's just that this dress is really thin and you might poke me."

Bakura shrugged, suddenly indifferent. "No worry. Hey, I'll be back in a minute, 'kay?"

Serenity frowned, disliking his colloquial language. It was rare coming from someone who usually spoke in a formal tone, so rare that Serenity found herself deciding to follow him. However, after ten minutes of weaving though the mass of people, there was no sight of the white-haired man.

"Where the hell did he go?" Serenity hissed, looking around frantically. Deciding that it was his own fault he was lost, she turned to leave the room when a hand tapped her on the shoulder. A tall man stood behind her, dressed like a vampire in a black cloak lined with red, a gallant tuxedo, fangs realistically protruding from his deliciously crimson lips, and a black mask concealing the upper half of his face.

"You're number 18, right?" he asked. She nodded, a sinking feeling consuming her. There was no chance of escaping now and freeing herself from further humiliation. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her onto the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, wanting to pull away from him but unwilling to make a scene.

"Hiding," he answered bluntly, pulling her close to him and pressing his hand tightly against her. She shivered, thoroughly uncomfortable from the situation unfolding before her. Being held by some unknown man avoiding something or someone was certainly not a good thing.

"_What _are you doing?!" she hissed again. "This is the _Monster Mash_, not a ballad!"

"What's your point?"

That cocky voice sounded awfully familiar.

"My point _is_ that you should let go of me, whoever you are!"

"I told you, I'm hiding."

His grip on her didn't falter as they continued to sway hardly to the music -in fact, his hand was slowly descending her back.

_Go further down and you're a dead man_, her inner self screamed, a terrible gleam coming into her cinnamon eyes.

And so he did.

"You jerk!" she shouted, tearing herself out of his grip with such a force that she smacked straight into an innocent passer-by.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped and Serenity was mortified to realize she had knocked into Seto Kaiba himself. Down the front of his white shirt was a crimson stain from the red wine he had been drinking and his eyes were beginning to match that color. "You idiotic woman!"

"This is entirely my fault, Kaiba old buddy," Serenity's mental dance partner quipped, gently moving a shocked Serenity to the side. He lifted his mask onto the top of his head to confirm Serenity's suspicions -Duke Devlin. Self assessed ladies man and known by all to be an ultra pervert. "She was trying to escape from me."

"Molesting young women again, are we?" Kaiba sarcastically questioned, smirking. "Tell me again why you were invited?"

"I'm loaded."

Their verbal exchange was cut short, however, when the Bride of Frankenstein latched herself onto Duke from behind and pouted, causing him to shout from disbelief.

"Baby, you disappeared," she whined while Duke attempted to pry her claws off of him. As he struggled, Serenity escaped into the crowd, hoping that neither CEO discovered her disappearance. She narrowly avoided having to engage in conversation with several colleagues and once she had left the room entirely, she sighed in relief.

The halls of Kaiba Corporation were brightly lit; however, the yellow tinged light was unable to mask the seclusion of the area. When she walked, she could hear her footsteps echo and she wondered what would happen if she spoke. The main floor had an impressive lobby, the ceiling impossibly high with a grand cylindrical chandelier hanging from it. Five elevators lay dormant on either side of her and she could imagine the struggle during weekdays to squeeze oneself into it. A desk was in front of her a few feet away, but she feared going near it. Knowing Kaiba Corp, it was probably rigged with some type of alarm system.

Shivering, she put her arms around herself and silently wished she hadn't worn something so revealing. A part of her wanted to find Bakura, but she knew that would be impossible considering the crowd inside. She had no choice but to remain in the building until people began to leave.

Curious, Serenity inched her way to the right side elevators and tentatively pressed one of the buttons. The number above it lit up in the digitalized number 1 and the silver doors gave way to a luxurious elevator, padded with black leather walls. Her fear of elevators diminished when she stepped inside and the doors closed.

"Which floor...?" she mused to herself before pressing the highest number visible. Twenty floors later, the doors opened once more and she stepped straight into an office. It was tiny and there were chairs across from the desk littered with phones and it instantly occurred to her that she was within a secretary's office. What puzzled her, though, was why it was so small. There had to be something else on the floor.

Half heartedly she walked around the office until she noticed yet another elevator. It was partially hidden behind a board and she noticed that a key was required for the doors to open. She sighed, dejected, and was prepared to leave when the lights on the elevator caught her eye and made her adrenaline race. Someone was coming upstairs. She watched the red numbers increase until it reached 19. Panic stricken, she ripped through her brain to come up with either an escape plan or an excuse. Hiding under the desk seemed out of the question in her dress, and she inwardly cursed her luck that she ended up on the one elevator, out of ten, that came up to this office.

Excusing herself being her only option, Serenity thought rationally about what she could say. She got lost...? Of course! Then why would she be on this elevator...? She was looking for ... an exit? To the upper parking?

Her time ran out when the doors opened and revealed none other than the irate, sick, wet Seto Kaiba. He was leaning against the elevator wall, his face pasty and sweat glistening on his face and neck. His eyes were half open when he exited the elevator slowly, arms crossed to reveal his internal discomfort. She hoped he wouldn't notice her in his delirium but her wish was broken when, after coughing, he stood to his full height, turned around and snapped his eyes to her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I... I got lost," she stammered to her chagrin.

"Going where, exactly?"

_Don't say 'Upper parking'; don't say 'Upper parking'..._

"The upper parking."

_Idiot_.

She could have sworn he twitched and color began to return to his ghastly pale face. "This isn't a hotel."

"My mistake."

They both remained still, staring at one another until Kaiba, out of irritation, broke their lock.

"Why aren't you leaving?"

"I want to examine you."

The CEO, for the first time, was startled. It was disappointing, slightly, that a tinge of rouge never graced his cheeks, but she supposed the widened eyes and partially gaping mouth was entertainment enough. With her mask on, she wondered whether he recognized who she was. She reached up and took it off, then waited for her identity to register with Kaiba.

"You're kidding me," he finally spoke, a smirk coming to his lips. His gaze travelled up and down her body. "What the hell are you supposed to be?" His eyes were clearly focused on her gratuitous cleavage. "A tramp?"

"Vampiress," she answered coolly, despite her nerves exploding inside. "And you are...?"

"The CEO of Kaiba Corporation." No joke.

"Scary." She meant it. "Let me just get my bag while you wait here."

"I never agreed to being examined by you."

"Mr. Kaiba, you look like shit."

Once again, she had hit a mark in Kaiba's mind that caused him to start and his eyes to widen. She didn't always have to appear like milk and daisies, and when she was out of the clinic dealing with an arrogant asshole, Inner Serenity would be free to run rampant, leaving a path of destruction wherever she trod--

"You should talk," he retorted, the smirk returning. "If you dressed like that everyday--"

"Don't even say it!" she threatened, taking a step up him. Instead of backing up, or even tilting his head slightly back, Kaiba leaned forward and what could only be defined as a creepy smile spread onto his lips like a virus.

"Whore." The insult was emitted in such a voice that she nearly mistook it for an affectionate term.

Her eyes remained narrow and expression poker in non-amusement. "If we're through with the greetings..."

"I'm certainly through with you." Without warning, Kaiba grabbed her by the shoulders, spun her around and pushed her toward the elevator. She held out her hands to prevent herself from smashing into the metal doors but was relieved when they opened.

"Wait--" She attempted to gather her dignity, but gaining leverage in heels was impossible. The doors closed on a smirking Kaiba and she descending the building, fuming.

"That--that--" Her finger furiously pushed the button for the previous floor she had been on, but the elevator refused to move. Literally.

"Oh shit!" she cried out, panic and her other self beginning to seize her. Frantically, she pushed every button in front of her but the elevator refused to move. Releasing a high-pitched scream, she backed herself up against the wall and ordered herself to calm down. Several breaths later, she began to look for an escape route.

Looking down, she saw nothing on the floor -then again, even if there was a hatch, she wouldn't enjoy plummeting to her death from jumping through it. Craning her head upward, her eyes scanned the ceiling and she released a small whoop of joy from seeing a rectangular hatch.

Problem was, she was too short to reach it.

"Shit!" she repeated, proceeding to kick the metal walls of the elevator. With the impact, the elevator jerked and trudged down slightly, causing Serenity to release a shrill scream.

She was going to die in there, she just knew it! After all, everyone was in the main hall and only Bakura would notice that she was gone, but there was no way he could trace her whereabouts to the stalled elevator. Only Kaiba knew exactly where she was, and there was no way in hell he would save her...

She bit her lip, contemplating her cynical conclusion about Kaiba. Certainly, he had been disagreeable and miserable for all the occasions she had the privilege of meeting him, but when she thought about it, she couldn't blame him. No one liked the prospect of death hanging over their heads when they had so much to live for.

Sighing, she fell to her knees and then shifted to sit down with her legs brought up against her chest. She couldn't give up hope. Someone would eventually find her... eventually...someday...

"_SOMEONE GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!"_ her inner self screeched against her will. Her words seemed to be swallowed up by the elevator and she sighed again, banging her forehead against her knees.

_"Will you stop screaming, you idiot?"_

That voice, that condescending, foul-mouthed, deep baritone voice, strangely sounded like Kaiba. Perhaps she was beginning to hallucinate.

"K-Kaiba?" she stuttered hesitantly, lifting her head from her legs.

_"Who else?__ God, you're such a moronic woman. Anyone else would have noticed the intercom system."_

Intercom system...?"

Her eyes scanned the elevator and then fell upon the slightly visible horizontal engravings above the buttons, where she assumed the intercom system was. She groaned at her stupidity and once again resorted to banging her head against her knees.

_"What the hell did you do to get yourself stuck in there?" _Kaiba demanded and instantly, Serenity's mouth opened in umbrage.

"I didn't do anything! I'm scared!" Serenity cried out, jumping up and proceeding to scream straight into the intercom. "Get me out, please!"

_"Of course I'm going to get you out!"_ Kaiba hissed. "_Do you think I'm actually going to leave you in there?"_

She sniffed in response and slowly returned to her sitting position in the corner of the elevator. The silence around her was unnerving and she softly hummed to herself to overpower it. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep but was awoken by a loud thump and the elevator shaking. Bewildered, she scampered to her feet and glanced around

_"Do me a favour and shut up for a moment!" _Kaiba yelled, which actually caused Serenity to flinch. _"Here's some elevator music to calm that feeble brain of yours."_

"I don't need elevator music, I--"

**_--need a hero_**

**_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night...!_**

"You've got to be kidding me..." Serenity muttered, wondering whether Kaiba chose this song on purpose. If he did, she would certainly add him to her list of fruity guys, where Tristan, Duke and even her own brother currently stood (Joey's cross-dressing escapade in High School was certainly a winner) among many others.

**_He's gotta be strong_**

**_And he's gotta be fast_**

**_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_**

"He'd better be..." She cast a look up to the hatch door, which seemed to be mocking her, threatening her that it would _never_ open and the elevator would become her metal tomb.

**_I need a hero_**

**_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light_**

"Well, I have no other choice, do I?"

**_He's gotta be sure_**

"About saving me...? I am a Wheeler, after all..."

**_And it's gotta be soon_**

"Damn straight. My shoes are looking pretty edible right now..."

**_And he's gotta be larger than life_**

"Like his ego?"

**_Larger than life..._**

"TURN THIS MUSIC OFF!" Serenity shouted, prepared to tear out her hair. When there was no answer, she huffed and stood up, preparing to pace and bang on the elevator walls like a demented band drummer. Her plan to create havoc was hindered, though, by a loud thump on the top of the elevator. Instantly, from the impact the elevator lurched down slightly and Serenity fell straight on her rear. She winced from the pain and was ready to scream again when a loud rattling noise filled the elevator and the hatch opened.

Instead of a technician, Kaiba poked his head through the hatch, his face expressionless as always. "Good, you're still alive."

A smile broke out onto Serenity's lips from seeing him and she ran toward the hatch. "How did you...?"

"It was nothing," Kaiba said, fiddling with a roll-up ladder. The bundle was tossed down and it unravelled, revealing it to seem slightly weak and fragile. Serenity cast a questioning look up the hatch but Kaiba was no where to be seen. Uncertain, she applied pressure to one of the rungs with her hand and it wavered precariously.

"Mr. Kaiba, don't you have anything else I could use to get up?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly. She half expected him to procure a flying apparatus, a probable recent invention of his, and in safety, she would crawl inside and fly up. After all, that was probably how Kaiba got down here. Maybe the invention was too big for the hatch.

"No. Now hurry up, I don't have all night."

Huffing, Serenity placed her foot on the lowest rung and tried not to squeal when it swayed dangerously. "I'm a dead-woman..." she whispered to herself, while her inner self told her to shut up and climb. Making a constant, high-pitched whining tone the entire way, Serenity slowly climbed the rungs while Kaiba impatiently waited. She half-expected him to mutter obscenities at her but he was silent and not in sight. Climbing up an insecure rope ladder toward utter darkness was certainly not reassuring.

When her hand touched the top of the elevator, she cried out for Kaiba's assistance in a wavering voice. Rapidly, a pair of powerful and long arms reached down and grabbed her new the elbows. With one pull she was safely on the top of the elevator and beside Kaiba.

Overwhelmed by her saviour, Serenity collapsed into Kaiba's arms, hugging him while he attempted to push her off.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you--"

"I get the fucking point, now unhand me!"

The damsel (no longer in distress) released Kaiba and attempted to hide her flaming face. He, meanwhile, proceeded to dust himself off and fix his rumpled clothing, paying little to no attention to the woman before him.

"Really, I am thankful," she said quietly, her hands bunched up together. Kaiba's eyes flickered to her and he openly scoffed, unable to believe that this revered doctor was acting like a flustered teenager.

"Don't be yet," he voiced, turning to the thick, silvery cable that supported the elevator. "We still have to climb up to the next floor."

"What?" Serenity cried out in dismay, craning her head upward to see nothing but the cable being gradually consumed by blackness. "T-then how did you get up here?"

"I climbed down," Kaiba briskly answered, his eyes moving to a piece of rope that was flawlessly concealed by the darkness.

"You shouldn't have!"

"Well, considering the way you were screaming and how long it would take for someone else to get you out, it was the most productive solution."

Her eyes shifted from Kaiba to the thin rope and then back again. Gradually, she could feel her calm demeanour dissipating and her legs began to shake uncontrollably. In a moment, they bent to her fear and she crouched on the top of the elevator, her eyes shut tightly.

Kaiba was silent, perhaps waiting to see whether she would stand up again and regain her composure. When she didn't, he emitted an irritated sigh and folded his arms while stepping in front of her.

"What is it?"

"I can't..." she whispered, the usually brave and even spit-fire mouthed girl finally tamed."I just can't climb that..."

Below, she knew nothing awaited her except for a cavern of never-ending darkness. And if she climbed that rope, she might as well be trying to commit suicide.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Kaiba asked, tapping his foot. Serenity shook her head, saying nothing. "Fine. Stay there and rot."

However, Kaiba clearly wasn't acting according to his words. Grabbing onto Serenity's right upper arm, he pulled her up so roughly that she staggered and fell against him, screaming slightly from fear of falling down.

"W-what are you doing?" she demanded, breathless yet clutching tightly onto his navy shirt. Without her knowledge, she had already ripped off the top three buttons of his shirt during their brief struggle. Kaiba decided not to mention it.

"I want to get out of here and the last thing I need is a dead body in my building." He walked forward to the rope and grabbed onto it with both hands. "Climb onto my back."

_"Now,_" he added, after noticing that Serenity was staring at him with an incredulous expression. Most notably, with her mouth open and eyes wide like he had asked her if she wanted to see him strip. Like an automaton, she followed his orders and latched herself onto his back, piggy-back style. It certainly felt uncomfortable, especially with her bare arms absorbing the heat from Kaiba's neck and her legs wrapped around his abdomen.

He waited for a moment, most likely summoning his strength before untying the rope from the cable and then swinging them against the wall. From the loud thump made when they hit the wall, Serenity winced, hoping that Kaiba was okay. He, however, didn't seem in pain and instantly began hauling the two of them up the rope. Unable to look down, Serenity watched his hands, the knuckles turning white from exertion. She could hear him grunting with each pull and from her chest pressed against his back, could feel his heart pounding tremendously.

_…Difficulty breathing…_

_There was blood on the tongue blade…_

In remembrance, she nearly let go of him but instead, tightened her hold. Leaning her head against his shoulder, an indescribable fear paralyzed her once more and she could do nothing but wait and see whether he would make it. Whether _they_ could make it. Her sense of time became distorted, mind unwillingly occupied with the touch and sound of Kaiba's body. No longer was he the page in the textbook, but reality, one that she didn't want to accept. She prayed that her fears were all derived from paranoia and when she received the results, she wouldn't have to worry.

He made many stops, pausing to regain his breath. With his raspy breathing, she could feel shudders travel throughout her body and wished she could have blocked it out.

Eventually, they reached the floor she had been on only an hour ago. With effort, Kaiba hauled himself and Serenity onto the floor, like coming out of a swimming pool without the ladder. He lay on his stomach for a moment while Serenity moved off of his back. Then, as he attempted to get up, he began to cough violently.

Quickly, Serenity went to his side, watching with horror as each of his violent coughs produced blood on the previously white carpet.

"Don't lie down!" she ordered, noticing his crouched position. She then was ready to run to the phone but was hindered from taking a single step by Kaiba grabbing her ankle. In her attempt to free herself, she ended up falling. Suddenly, the coughing stopped.

"This is my office," she could hear him say, his voice bearing the mellifluous sound of granite. "You have no right to touch my things."

"Mr. Kaiba, you're seriously ill!" Serenity cried out, crawling up on her hands and knees and then turning around to face her saviour with a scalding glare. "You may die if you don't get medical attention immediately!"

"I don't care."

"How can you say that?" She stood up, wavering slightly on her heels. Kaiba made no other reply, instead wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and leaving a dark reminiscent of blood on it. As if nothing had happened, he stood up and coldly brushed by Serenity, his destination his desk. Leaning against it, he avoided Serenity's gaze when she turned around in question.

"You saved my life," she said, her hands bunching up, "and you did it for a reason."

"I don't want to be sued."

"No." She shook her head, her soft locks of hair drifting with the movement. "You could have called someone. Anyone. Instead, you came after me yourself."

This time he looked up, his expression as unreadable as it had always been. Self-consciously Serenity took tentative steps to him until she was standing close enough for their feet to be touching. Then, she was prepared to bow down to him to express her gratification but was stopped when Kaiba took hold of her shoulders.

Looking up, their eyes finally met and she could almost see a hint of remorse buried within the sea of his eyes. They said nothing, both unsure of what exactly to say. Then, the grandfather clock in his office chimed and they separated.

Serenity walked the entire way down through the stairwell.

Bakura was waiting for her.

---

A large sigh was released by the doctor the moment she entered her apartment. As usual, she dropped her bag to the floor and trudged to the couch where she was more than prepared to lie down. The furniture squeaked when she fell on it, as usual sending a bit of insecurity through her about her weight.

_Well, as long as it doesn't break, I'm not fat! _she concluded, while reaching over to grab a cholesterol-packed bag of chips. It would go straight to her hips, she knew, but hardly cared. After tonight, she certainly deserved a break.

With one hand, she shovelled the oily, yet gratifying, junk food into her petite mouth and with the other hand, reached for the remote. She was mindlessly channel surfing when a loud sound caught her attention and she noticed papers being fed into the fax machine and spat out again. Furrowing her brows, she sat up and wiped her hands on her silk dress, leaving dark marks.

Her eyes drifted to the clock above the fax machine, which read about half-passed three in the morning.

_A fax at this time?_

Curious, she walked to the machine, ignoring the pains in her legs. What she really needed was sleep and a bit of relaxation before work on Monday. Although she had the day off tomorrow, there were things to be done, like her growing pile of laundry that could probably now double-up as a bed.

After three minutes of waiting, she impatiently grabbed at the first page of the fax and ripped it off from the growing chain of paper. Her eyes scanned the dark print and suddenly, her pain was nonexistent. In an attempt to keep her balance she took a wavering step back and clumsily knocked her hip against the table, knocking a vase over. It readily shattered, leaving red and white shards in a multitude of sizes on her floor.

---

Mokuba Kaiba expertly entered the codes necessary to enter the restricted laboratory and smirked when the heavy door slid up. Quickly he entered, knowing well that after a quarter of a minute, it would shut down. The lab hadn't changed much from the last time he had seen it. More large machines were added, massive computers were wired to the walls and color variation was slim to none. As he walked through the laboratory, his footsteps echoed and he remembered how a long time ago, he was deathly afraid of the place. The chill had unfortunately also remained and he rubbed his arms, finding it unbelievable that the cold penetrated through his black suit jacket.

His eyes scanned the room when he reached the middle, wondering where the desk was.

_The corner near the back..._ he concluded without even witnessing a viable clue. It made sense, and all people were predictable.

"Tsk, tsk," he said, crossing his arms as he approached the figure sitting at the desk. His legs were propped up on the table and he was leaning leisurely on his chair, hardly moved by the man's presence. "A retina scan would have been more appropriate to protect your precious lab. Anyone could get in."

---

(a/n:Two cliffies? What am I, insane? Anyway... I don't know about the rest of you, but I really like this story, which is kinda why I'm neglecting _The Black Rose. _Bad me. Let's see if I love it enough to update before my midterms. I do have big plans for it... I just hope people are still reading it!)


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